42 comments:

Carol I take away a lot from your posts! The sheer beauty of Paris, finding out tips about the city/places to go, seeing the "real" Paris...you make it seem more accessable to us. Also, you're upbeat tone is very reader friendly, and the trends and patterns you present to us (eg. all red clothing in Paris) helps to establish a fun theme to follow. And that's just to name a few :)

HI Carol...you are such an inspiration to all of us Paris lovers out here...and because of you I stood in line at Laudree last friday to get my green box and green bag...which I now treasure....my sister and I were thinking of you the whole time as we rubber necked into the tea room...and swiped a couple extra napkins... haha....that was our take away.

Your post is my favorite "non-family" email. Your imagery of Paris is such a pleasant way to start my day. I enjoy the sometimes quirky point of view of your features. Also, your post evokes memories of visits I have made, and also allows me to dream of going again to explore places you've described. I have to say, though, that your watercolors are what drove me to your post in the first place, and those posts are the ones I save in a special folder after reading them. I get so much from PB, that it's difficult to explain briefly. My humble efforts at painting are inspired/improved ~ so I suppose you are my muse, I dream, I reminisce, laugh, get hungry, sometimes disagree, even. Not to mention things like purchasing a fantastic book on your recommendation! (Color Mixing Bible). Hope this helps you.

i take away that sense of wonder that you so artfully convey. is paris REALLY that romantic? are the desserts as delicious as they appear? is paris the source of each year's fashion trends? the apartment is booked and next may, when i find myself wandering the streets, your images and words will guide my tour!

my take away from pb: pure delight, french style! ps re: kings of pastry: i took a class at the french culinary institute. ok the food we got at lunch from the class across the hall was great, but greater still to stand next to j. pepin, and m. de sailhac when they popped in for a chat. lucky you to rub elbows si souvent avec les maitres!

Hi there - I was attracted to your blog initially by all those lovely pictures and the cheerful comments that went with them. And when I discovered all the beautiful paintings that go with them I was doubly impressed. I too paint, inspired by Paris, yes, but abstract, so not as easy on the eye as yours!

The main thing I take away from your blog is a wonderful feeling of 'warmth', Carol. It is a VERY cozy blog, in the best sense of the word. No matter what's happening in the rest of my world, I can always count on your blog to make me smile. I love the wonderful photos (I'm very big on the kind of 'still life' stuff you do. LOVE the 'line-up' of colors!)

I like your attitude. I like your 'take' on the world. I love your enthusiasm for Paris and, in general, for life. It's contaigous.

Yes the pastries, yes the art, but also the everyday life photos that remind me how normal it all is there. I may not have much of a "French Girl" thing going on (hey, I'm wearing a scarf today) but I love seeing the pics of those girls to and from work, walking the dog, dealing with kids etc., I may not look like them but somehow I'm pretty close huh, if I'm doing the same things they do, yes? No? Oh, let me dream.

Hello, I LOVE the excited feeling I get when I see it in my inbox! YES! its here!CLICK! YAY!!!The day gets better! Your pics of the food, the watercolors, the whole city and then some places in the USA,too.Very nice. The very first one I saw was a shop with a red front and I was hooked! I had to read your archives and subscribe right away.SO I can take a little trip when ever I need to.I enjoy the variety. I LOVE seeing the scenes of Paris that I would have missed, but I have been inspired by you to actually GO to Paris next spring!! In your blog I have seen things I really WILL visit and not be intimidated by. The trip for me will be a "Bakery Crawl". I feel that from an armchair in a rural town in Oregon I am able to travel to the real PARIS without the carbs,until I actually get there and so I thank you very much for inspiring me to feel I can go there alone and totally get around safely and with confidence.Merci! Cookie of rural Oregon USA

Reading your blog, Carol, is like taking a mini break to Paris. I have yet to visit myself, but I know that when I do visit, I will take with me plenty of ideas of things to see and do that I've seen you blog about. Thank you for offering up such beautiful posts/pictures to all of us!

What I take away from looking at your daily post is a sense of content - I'm amused, entertained, relaxed, pleased, after looking at it. You are the filter for us. You show us a city of legend with your unique photos and sketches. You pick the topic and turn it into art and we are happy with your selection.You are the gatekeeper - we love what you decide on and can't wait to see more.

I have written to you before to thank you for your blog. It makes me smile all the time. I love how you tie all your snapshots together. I take lots of random pictures in Paris, of little things, of anything, simply because they make me smile. I can't tie them together like you, but they still make me happy. :-)

I want to share un secret avec vous: Sometimes I don't look at your blog for weeks and weeks so that I can have more to look at when I return. I do the same with Paris Daily Photo. It's a "greedy" habit, but it works.Thank you for the smiles.Yvonne

I wonder if we might have crossed paths on this past jour du macaron. I could swear I saw some Rykiel stripes somewhere, but I don't remember where. We started off too late to score a box. :-( I did score a cute macaron keychain so I'm not complaining. I think mon lapin et votre ours would get along just fine as they pose for pics around paris--such hams!The couple eating ice cream on the bridge de Isle St.Louis needs to be your next watercolor!

Bonjour Carol ~ I take away dreams ~ dreams of beautiful Paris, it's food, everday people- the old, the very young and the in-betweens, fashion, dogs, all peppered with little snippets of French ~Bien Sur~ and most of all a sense of fun! I can't imagine opening up my blog-site to find that "Paris Breakfast" has gone on an extended vacation and hasn't taken me along for the ride. Merci Carol. ~Dianne~

I LOVE this email! Thank you so much Yvonne.Your 'take away' makes PB all worthwhile :)OK EVERYONE's does!Funny I just had a request for a painting of a couple on that very bridge, but hard as I tried I could not 'get' it to work.

What restraint you have to hold off reading PB's post for WEEKS!Can I do the sane with posting I wonder?I think not...ahemThere are quite a few other nuts walking around sporting Sonia stripes. I am not alone.Sorry that you missed out on the PH macaron prize box.Was Lapin with you for good luck especially his/her foot?Did you have a friend along who was picky with the flavors? Hmmm...I would have loved a PH macaron keychain - the cookies are gone, eaten by friends pas moiA keychain is a daily reminder of victoire!!Kind regards,Carolg

Dear All Things Frenchie,We are putting out the 'Gone Fishin' sign' right now!OK it says, Gone to bed with a bad 'NYC Typhoon' cold from traipsing around last Thursday and then running to DC at the crack of the following dawn.A friend says I caught a computer virus..Tea & honey SVP Norton 360!sniffle...snifflecg

Carol - as a new reader of your posts they are a true pleasure to read. The connection to Paris is a strong one and I love sharing it and hearing about it from you. Wonderful posts and so creative. Thank youx

First: The word "just" should never be included in front of the phrase "a bunch of cakes lined up in rows".Now, for the take-away: PB lets me feel like a Parisian insider instead of a tourist (though I can't properly say I feel like a tourist, never having been there, but you know what I mean).

There is so much to "take away" from your Posts.I love the way you take something small,overlooked or insignificant (is anything insignificant in Paris?)and with your photos, stories, humor and special focus make it into something very real and personal.My HS French teacher did that too. With your creativity, special eye and beautiful watercolors you have made this city, that I already love like home, even more special. I want to see more.BTW: today is our last day here and it has been a more than perfect visit! And I had my FIRST macaron.Suzanne

PB isn't just about Paris, it's not just about pastries. It's about all things beautiful, inspiring and French. Your uniqueness (in my humble opinion, mlle) is the way you string things together. You bring together all the layers of Paris in wonderfully concocted stories that show the good, (a little of) the bad, but mostly the joyful, colorful and inspired sides of Paris. xo

Calorie free desserts for one! And great ideas for places for me to check out should I ever get to Paris. Your blog makes me want to go there more and more.....and I really didn't too much before I started reading your blog.

I take away creativity, art, an eye for graphic design and color, Paris streets, some kind of orientation of the city, exploration, discovery, atmosphere--and the pastries, shops and chocolate! Your book will be a gem, Carol. Esp with maps.

Well! Carol.I am just starting my day, and already feel quite exhausted, just having scrolled down and through all the "take-away" comments by your many fan friends.(of which I am one, as you know) As for what I take away from PB; well, at this moment, it is the pleasure of agreeing with every one of the comments made, and suggesting you just keep on doing what you naturally do so well.

You and I are kindred spirits. I love cats, dogs, Paris, the French language, graphic arts and I'm a watercolor artist. Thank you for your wonderful blog. I look forward to it everyday and I just discovered it.~Schuyler (Sky) McClainNJ

Dear Carol, what do we take away?...You know there's a strong stereotype about French people being snobbish and Paris being expensive and intimidating. Since I started reading your daily blog, I become more interested in the city, and with an idea that we don't need to have a ton of money (even though it would be nice!) to enjoy the city. People there are interesting, fashionable and know a thing or two about good food!So why not follow your steps and get to know them better?That's my dream after I read your posts, to follow your steps and recommendations. Thank you!

I love this question. I am a little late to this comment party but I just had to add that I found your blog by looking for images of "a paris breakfast" on google for my modest little blog post on our family's trip to France (2008). and I have been hooked ever since. I first fell for your lovely watercolor images of cafe scenes and macarons. You influenced me so much in my curiousity for macarons that last summer when we went to London and I found a Paul's patissiere I HAD to try the mini assortment...they were wonderful. But I love PB for your perspective, your awesome photos of too many Paris details that I had never noticed, your art (my favorite morning mug is my PB mug), and your fun foodie nature. I cannot thank you enough for how fun the PB ride is for this reader.

Carol, I love PB for taking me "back to Paris". It's been 10 years since I spent a lovely week in both Paris & Dijon... I layed under the Eiffel Tower for two hours just gazing up at it. Yes, I know...strange. I did so with about 10 other friends, so I didn't feel so odd to do that. But...I just wanted to breathe the moment in ...it was intoxicating, just like your posts that remind me of my time there. Your blog helps me to revisit the reason I love Paris! My Beloved Husband says he's taking me there for our 30th wedding anniversary! I have two years yet, and I cannot wait! :) Merci!

I enjoy your Paris Breakfast enormously! I live in Brussels and although I get along ok with French here I always feel very intimidated when going to Paris. Your posts have made Paris more approachable to me and I cannot wait for the next time I get the chance to go. If you ever publish a book I will be queuing up to get it. I have already recommended your blog to the people who come here visiting and who wants a trip to Paris while here. Thanks you for a very entertaining and informative blog.

Carol,I just can't make up my mind... Shall I go with the wonderful cuisine with colour and artistry,the passion of French life or do I just sit back and admire the superb views? Looks like you're doing all VERY well. best wishes, Therese

I feel like I'm a fly on the wall of your life, and you have a way of making even the most ordinary things vibrant, alive and fun. Your artwork, photos, sense of humor and whimsy make me smile each morning. Thank you.

Dear Carole. I have been visiting Paris from time to time since 1972. It has never seemed intimidating to me. Whenever I am in France and Italy I am always on a budget with the idea that the more careful I am, the longer I can stay. What your blog has that I have taken away is a greater appreciation of what is behind those stylish patisserie doors. I avoided expensive chocolate shops and patisseries. After all your fabulous patisserie photos I realize that the stylish and sophisticated wares are really worth the expense. So next time I will visit all the fancy patisserie names and stay not quite as long. A note about maccarons: they are so much the rage in Australia that even regional cities like Ballarat here have a variety of choice....even Ballarat Maccas (MacDonalds) have macca rons and only a dollar each!!! Your blog style is perfect. Gwendoline in Australia.

Pastries are one of the AFFORDABLE LUXURIES in Paris Gwendoline in Australia.That's the egalitarian part of France. Anyone can waltz in and buy them. It's not a Dior bag and won't break the bank unless you do it everyday every hour like some people I know ahem...

You have the ability to go out and enjoy yourself every day and at the same time enable us to share in your great experiences and derive pleasure from them. Such a great blog. Love it. Gwendoline in Australia.